Graduating-release appliance for air-brakes.



PATENTED AEE. z8, 11903. E. G. sEoETT. GEAEUATING EELEAsE APELIANGE EOE AIE BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB., 6, 1902.

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vm hmmm No. 726,469. P-ATENTED APR. 28, 1903.

' B. G. sHoRTT-L GRADUATIING RELEASE APPLIANCE EUR AIR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 6, 1902. H0 MODEL. l Z'SHEETS-SHEE-T 2.

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Yiln'rrnn Srarns Arnim* @Nimm EDWARD G. Sl-IORTT, OF CARTI-IAGE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNA- TIONAL AIR BRAKE COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GRADUATlNG-REILEASE APPLIANCE FOR AIR-BRAKES SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,469, dated April 28,1903.

Application led March 6. 1902.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G.`SHORTT, a

citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Carthage, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Graduating-Release Appliances for Air-Brakes, of' which the following is a specification.

Myinvention has reference to certain novel ro and useful improvements in a valve mechanism for air-brakes, and more especially to` means forgraduatin g the release action thereof or for effecting apartial release inV lieu of a complete release, as is commonly practiced in air-brake systems as operated at the present day.

The object of the invention is to enable the user of au air-brake after making a service operation, and particularly on long grades,V

zo where there may be a frequent repetition of service action, to regulate the release insuch a Way as that so much of the braking power may be retained in the cylinder as may be desirable or necessary-that is to say,a greater z 5 or less amount of the braking pressure may be released and gotten rid of and the remainder of the pressure retained in the cylinder-an object Which is very necessary of accomplishment under certain conditions in 3o railroad-work and one which it is impossible to achieve with the forms `of brake mechanism now in use.

My invention consists, primarily, in an improvement upon the valve mechanism shown 3 5 and described in my Letters Patent No.

690,468, granted January 7, 1902, and is preeminently applicable 'to the valve described in said Letters Patent, although I do not intend to be restricted to such a limited appli- 4o cation as this, but reserve the liberty of employing the invention in connection With any kind of anfair-brake valve mechanism with which it may be possible to use it.

The invention consists,essentially,in means for effecting a partial release of braking pressure and of graduating the amount of such release, according to the necessities of the case, thereby enabling as much braking pressure as may bc needed to be retained in the Serial No. 96,899. (No model.)

cylinder; and it also consists in numerous 5o structural features and in details and peculiarities of combination, arrangement, and association, substantially as will be hereinafter described, and then more fully pointed out in the ensuing clauses of claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a central vertical section of'an air-brake valve mechanism embodying my present improvements, the operative parts being represented in the position 6o that they occupy at the time of the initial movement of the valve parts when the pressure in the train-pipe has been increased for the purpose of effecting partial release-that is to say, the position is that of the initial movement of release, partial or full. Fig. 2 is a similar vertical sectional View showing the operativeA parts in the position that they occupy at the conclusion of the partial release action and after the parts may be said to be 7o again in 'running position. Fig. 3 is a crosssectional detail 'View on the line a: a; of Fig.

l and serves to bring out more clearly the skeleton or spider form of casting that is carried on the piston-rod and supports the spring that coacts with the Valve device.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout all the different figures of the drawings.

In order to advantageously illustrate the 8o position and usefulness of my present improvements, I have shown in the drawings the form of valve which is described and claimed in my other Letters Patent hereinabove alluded to, such a showingrbeing especially fitting, because of the fact that the present invention is an improvement upon the other in certain respects, although it is to be distinctly understood that'it is of a Wide and Varied application. In this form of 9o valve 4c designates the valve-body. On its right is a cap 5. At lthe bottom isa drip-cup l0, which provides a train-pipe space l2, into which train-pipe air flows from a train-pipe branch that is coupled to the threaded pro- 95 jection 8 on cup 10. At lthe left of body a is the auxiliary reservoir 2, having a pipe 3, that extends to the brake-cylinder, and be- Lge tween body4 and reservoir 2 is a chamber or receiver 1l, that is adapted to be in communication at certain times with the reservoir 2 through a passage 37, an automatic valve 1 being located in said passage and having the function of automatically coming into action and cutting off the receiver 11 from the reservoir 2 whenever the pressure in the reservoir falls below a certain constant pressure thatmust always be retained in the reservoir for use in cases' of emergency. In the cap 5 isa reservoir-charging port 16, an emergencyvalve 6, having a stem 33, which projects into the path of lthe main piston 15, and also in said cap 5 is a port 13, that leads from the train-pipe space 12 to the piston-chamber 14.

9 denotes a train-pipe. emergency releasevalve, and 7 a piston that is acted upon at the time of emergency by pressure from the receiver 11 for the purpose of opening the valve 9 and venting train-pipe air to the atmosphere through the outlet 45.

In the chamber 14 ot' the valve-body 4 is the usual main piston, diaphragm, or abutment 15, having a rod 20. Piston 15 is adapted to slide within the bushing 34, fitted in the piston-chamber 14, there being a feedport 35 at the left-hand edge of chamber 14, through which when the periphery of piston 15 is directly opposite to it, so as to leave it open, as shown in Fig. l, the air can flow from the right-hand side of piston 15 to the other side thereof and then through port 36, grooved in a part of the piston near its stem 20, into the reservoir of the slide-valve casing or chamber, whence the pressure Hows into receiver 1l.

The stem 2O ofthe piston 15 has au extension 17. 38 indicates` the slide-valve, and 18 the graduation-valve, which are situated in the slide-valve chamber and are actuated by the piston l5. The proper ports and passages that are necessary for the performance of the functions of the triple valve are of course employed with the graduation and slidev valves; but it is unnecessary to here enter into a detailed description of them. A

`flat spring 19 bears against the slide-valve and causes it to tightly hug its seat.

At the center of the receiver' 11 is a supporting part 39, in which is a seat-piece 40. The left-hand end of this seat-piece has au annular port 26 extending from the graduationport 41 to a chamber 42, which chamber connects, by a port 23, with the brake-cylinder pipe 3. In rectilineal alinement with the slide-valve 38 and main piston 15 is a doublevalve device supported in the seat-piece 40, which valve device is shown and described in the other Letters Patent hereinabove alluded to and which controls the How of air from the slide-valve to the brake-cylinder in graduation action, as Well as the return flow at the time of release and after emergency, a large portion ofwhich return flow is conducted by means of this valve device into the receiver 11, whereby agreat economy in the use of the air is insured. Said valve device consists of two valves, 21 and 25, carried on opposite ends of a triangularly-shaped stem 24, which lies within a tubular central passage of the seat-piece 40. The valve 21 is designated to close or open the annular port 26. When the valve 21 is closed, the valve 25 will be unseated and open, and when valve 25 is closed the valve 21 will be unseated and open, but there is a certain time when both valves will be unseated, both thus being slightly open, and this is the case after emergency when the parts occupy the release position, which position of this double-valve device is indicated in Fig. 1.

The stem of the piston 15 not only has the portion of largest diameter 20 and a portion of smaller cross-section 17, but it also has at lits left-hand end an extension 30, preferably ol still smaller size and of such a length that when the piston 15 is at the left-hand end of its stroke or movement in chamber 14 the end of this extension will have thrustvalve 25 almost, but not quite, to its seat, leaving it open suiiciently far to permit the emergency release, if the action be one of release after emergency, to flow in part to the receiver 1l, and will also have opened valve 2l. This extension 30 reciprocates within an inclosing sleeve 3l, which is made integral with spider-shaped arms or claws 27, that bear against the adjoining side of the receiver ll, so that this sleeve 31 may be carried by the left-hand end 3() of the pistonstem, its arms 27 at limes having a bearing against receiver 11. These arms 27 curve over the valve 25 and give the latter room to play under them in seating and unseating. Surrounding the sleeve 3l externally is a spiral spring 28, which is tensioned between the arms 27 and a ange 43 on the part 17 of the piston-stem. In the sleeve 3l is a slot 32 and in this slot plays a pin 29, which is rigidly affixed to the piston-stein extension 30. W'hen the extension 30 has been thrust toward the left, the result will be to bring arms 27 to a bearing against receiver 11 or some other fixed part and t0 compress the spring 28, and in this movement the pin 29 will move toward the left-hand end of the slot 32. When the piston 15, however, moves toward the right, the pin 29 will strike against the right-hand end of the slot 32, as shown in Fig. 2, the spring at this time being extended, and this will carry the sleeve 3l along with the piston and its stem in their movement, provided such movement extends far enough.

I will now explain the operation of the present improvements in permitting a partial or graduated release of the braking pressure from the brake-cylinder. When a service application of the brakes is made by reducing the pressure in the train-pipe, the piston 15 will of course, as is usual, make a movement toward the right within the bushing 34 until it strikes against the stop 33, and

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in so doing the sleeve 3l of my present mechanism and its surrounding spring 28 will ob` viously be carried along with the main pis ton and its stem in their movement, as I have already explained, the pin 2S) being made to occupy a place in the right-hand end of the slot 32. At this time the valve 25 will be closed, owing to the air-pressure against it. Now if it be desired to let oit' a greater or less amount of the brake-cylinder pressure the engineers valve will be manipulated, so as to introduce only a small amount of increased pressure into the train-pipe-V-j ust a puff or two of air will be sufficient for the purpose-and the result will be to force the piston 15 to a place in the left-hand end of chamber let and to carry the extension 30 of the piston-stem to its farthest position toward the left, at the same time bringing the sleeve-arms 27 to a stop against the abutting face of the receiver l1, carrying the pin 29 along in the slot 32 to the left-hand end thereof and simultaneously compressing the spring 28. At this same time the valve 25 will be open slightly, but not very far, because it will contact with the end of the stem 30, and the valve 2l will also be open, so that a certain quantity of pressure from the brake-cylinder will escape through the exhaust-port 26. When the engineers valve is in running position or on lap and the pressure against piston l5 is reduced, so that equalization is effected, the spring 28, which has lnerely suflicient power to move the piston 15 and connected parts and overcome the friction of said piston in the bushing'a, willlby exerting its expansive pressure against the collar 43 operate to move the piston 15 slightly toward the right, and thus take the stern 30 away from contact with the valve 25, so that the valve 21 may no longer be kept open, but will automatically close under the action of the closingspring 42, so that there will be no further escape of braking pressure from the brake-cylinder, and a large quantity of said pressuregreater or less, as may be preferred-will be retained in the brake-cylinder- By the provision of this very simple attachment to the stem of the main piston and the use of the specified arrangement of release-valves 21 and 25 I am enabled, by raising the trainpipe pressure momentarily, to let out some of the cylinder-pressure and keep the rest therein. Thus on long grades, Where the engineer desires to ease up the brakes now and then to a small degree, he can perform this gradual release by throwing away small portions of braking pressure from time to time, but retaining the major part to keep the brakes well in hand. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fluid-pressure brake mechanism, the combination with a main piston and its stem, and a braking-pressurerelease device consisting of two valves-moving in unison with each other, of elastic means for moving the main piston to running position, after being momentarily in a release position, and means for closing the braking-pressure-release device simultaneously with the movement of the main piston from the release position.

2. In a :duid-pressure brake mechanism, the combination with the main piston and its stem, and a braking-pressure-release device consisting of two valves in rectilineal alinement with said stem, which latter furnishes a stop at certain times to allow the release device to open, of elastic means acting to restore the main piston to running position, after it has momentarily occupied release position, and means acting simultaneously to close the brakingpressure-release device to prevent the further exit of braking pressure.

3. In a duid-pressure brake mechanism, the combination with the train-pipe, brake-cylin der and auxiliary reservoir, of means for permittingthe escape of pressure from the brake cylinder, said means consisting of two valves on a common stem and moving in unison with each other, a spring bearing against said means for the purpose of normally closing the exit of the pressure'from the brake-cylinder, the main piston and its stem, the latter being elongated so that when the piston is in release position the end will furnish a stop to allow the aforesaid spring-provided valve device to be temporarily opened, a sleeve carried by the stem of the piston and a spring on said sleeve which acts to restore the piston from release to running position.

4. In a Huid-pressure brake mechanism, the combination with the train-pipe, brake-cylinder and auxiliary reservoir, of a triple valve having a piston provided with a stem, a slotted sleeve on said stem having arms adapted to iind a bearing in the end of the chamber, a spring surrounding the sleeve and acting to restore the piston to running position, after it has momentarily occupied release position, a valve for allowing the escape of braking pressure, together with a spring for closing said valve simultaneously with the restoration of the piston to running position.

5. In a duid-pressure brake mechanism, the combination of the main triple-valve piston having a stem, a spring device arranged on said stem to move the piston out of release position, a valve for permitting the escape of pressure from the brake-cylinder, a spring for closing said valve simultaneously with the apction of the other spring in moving the piston out of release position, said valve being held open by the stem of the piston when the latter is in release position.

Signed at Carthage, New York, this 8th day of January, 1902.

EDWARD G. SI-IOR'IT.

Witnesses:

W; W.V SWEET, E. GARDiNIER.

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